


chasing fire

by electricvallie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), Book 2: Earth (Avatar), Canon Compliant, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Zukka Week 2021, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 14:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30073512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricvallie/pseuds/electricvallie
Summary: Things Sokka learns that day:1. Don’t stay out late in the Lower Ring. For the sole reason that you will get lost, inevitably miss your transport time, and be stranded for the night. (It’s not his fault that the shops are so captivating, no matter what Katara might say)2. His soulmate is in Ba Sing Se.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 173





	chasing fire

Things Sokka learns that day: 

  1. Don’t stay out late in the Lower Ring. For the sole reason that you will get lost, inevitably miss your transport time, and be stranded for the night. (It’s not his fault that the shops are so captivating, no matter what Katara might say)



  1. His soulmate is in Ba Sing Se.



These things seem equally important, probably because he figures them out at relatively the same time.

He’d just finished up his scouring of the streets. Toph had joined up with Katara and Aang a couple of hours ago to head back to the Upper Ring, but something in Sokka’s gut was telling him to stay. 

(This conversation did not go over well with Katara, who cited Sokka’s instincts as the reason for multiple misadventures. In this case, she might’ve been right, but he’d never tell her that).

Apparently, that thing in his gut was the universe telling him that his soulmate was nearby. While this fact would normally be extremely exciting, Sokka is too busy grumbling around the streets and avoiding the Dai Li to pay much attention to it.

That is, until he sees a masked figure bounding across the rooftop.

Sokka, of course, does a double take. 

As soon as he’s recovered, the inherent curiosity rattling around in the back of his psyche gets the better of him and Sokka springs into action. He’s rather good at tracking people—it comes with learning how to hunt at a young age. Of course, following a vigilante through a city isn’t exactly what the Southern Water Tribe prepared him for, but the basic idea is the same.

It helps that the vigilante isn’t particularly subtle. Sure, they’re agile and quite fast, but not inconspicuous in the least. 

A flash of blue catches Sokka’s eye as the masked figure traipses through the clearing.

Recollection hits Sokka in an instant: this must be the Blue Spirit. 

The description matches up with Aang’s rather brief portrayal of the entity who saved him, and it certainly looks like the picture plastered onto all of the Fire Nation wanted posters.

Ignoring the weird fluttery feeling in his stomach that seems to be increasing with every step, Sokka follows the Blue Spirit to the edge of the Lower Ring. 

He’s not entirely sure what the vigilante is doing, but if he’s going to be here all night, Sokka decides he might as well find out. 

It’s about five minutes later—based on Sokka’s estimate—that he realizes: the Spirit is tracking something too.

Or rather, tracking someone, as it seems. While Sokka can’t quite make out the shadowy figure moving breezily along the cobbled streets, it is undoubtedly there. Yue’s brilliant light makes it easier to see in the shadows.

A couple roofs over, Sokka makes his third mistake. He gets too close to the Spirit, right behind his shoulder, and catches the figure’s attention.

Instantly the Blue Spirit springs into action, pulling out dual swords and automatically assuming a defensive position.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Sokka holds his hands up. “Simmer down, buddy.”

The expression on the Spirit’s mask can’t change, but Sokka would’ve sworn that he glared at him.

“Who are we following?” Sokka graciously ignores the glowering of the Spirit and maintains his friendly demeanor. This guy saved Aang’s life, after all. “Well, I was technically following you, but clearly my skills would be put to better use on whatever you’re doing.”

The Spirit says nothing. It’s not like Sokka can figure out what expressions he’s making under the mask, so it’s essentially like talking to an iceberg. 

But Sokka is nothing if not persistent. Persistent and curious, that is.

He glances down at the figure from before, who seems to have stopped for the moment. Squinting his eyes, Sokka makes out a familiar uniform.

“The Dai Lee,” he exclaims quietly. The Spirit nods. “Why are you following them?”

The Spirit shrugs. Right, Sokka thinks, there’s no way he’s going to the masked vigilante to talk.

There isn’t much time for him to try, though, because the Dai Lee agent is on the move again, and so are they. 

It’s weirdly peaceful, running in sync with the Spirit. They’re able to match each other’s speed perfectly, footsteps almost silent in uncanny unison. This should’ve been Sokka’s first sign, but he’s too caught up in the moment to properly process it. 

Things are going well. Too well, apparently, because in the span of two minutes everything goes to absolute shit. 

This next roof is a particularly far jump. At first, when the Spirit goes to leap, Sokka thinks he’s going to make it.

The Dai Lee agent, however, decides that this is the exact moment he’s going to notice them, and promptly earthbends the roof out from under the Spirit’s feet.

Sokka immediately springs into action

And—it’s a close call, but Sokka manages to grab the Spirit’s forearm before he careens off the rooftop to meet an untimely end.

Unfortunately, this motion causes the fabric of the Spirit’s shirt to tear, revealing a tattoo that Sokka doesn’t quite process until he’s hoisted the Spirit back onto the roof.

Before the Dai Lee agent can earthbend them anymore, Sokka flings his boomerang and hits him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Sokka exhales loudly, attempting to catch his breath.

“Thank you,”

The Spirit’s voice is raspy and somehow has a vague familiarity that Sokka can’t quite place. He wonders if he’s met the Spirit before, maybe passed him by on the streets of Ba Sing Se. 

But he doesn’t have too much time to think about this, because his eye catches on the Spirit’s shoulder.

( _ When Sokka was five, he asked his parents about the tattoo on his shoulder. He recognizes the Mark of the Wise, but it’s intertwined with an unfamiliar flame ensignia that makes chills run through him for some reason. _

_ When Sokka was seven, his mom died and he did his best to ignore the images of flames that burned themselves onto the back of his eyelids. _

_ When Sokka was nine, he did everything in his power to hide his tattoo. In his mind, he didn’t have a soulmate. He never wanted to meet anyone from the Fire Nation, much less marry them. _

_ Now, fifteen-year-old Sokka still doesn’t want much to do with soulmates. _ )  


He didn’t think he’d ever see it, the matching one, in real life. He isn’t sure that he wanted to. But there, on the Spirit’s shoulder, is Sokka’s soulmate tattoo. It stares at him, blindingly and unquestionable in its meaning.

Somehow, somewhere, the universe is laughing at him. Sokka is sure of it. 

All Sokka can do is point at it like a child. The Spirit looks confused.

“You recognize it?” Sokka nods. He still can’t bring himself to verbally respond, so he wordlessly shifts the shoulder of his tunic to reveal his own, matching tattoo.

Now they’re both quiet, only the humming of sparrowkeets in the far distance making noise. 

Sokka manages to snap out of it enough to regain some of his good sense. “We should move,” he says “before that guy wakes up.” The Spirit nods.

When they finally make their way back through the rooftops, climbing back down into a central square of some kind, Sokka is still reeling.

Surprisingly, it’s the Spirit that speaks first.

“You don’t want me to be your soulmate.” It’s not a question, and Sokka doesn’t exactly deny it.

“I don’t even know who you are.” The Spirit laughs a hollow, bitter laugh.

“Trust me, you don’t want to. It’ll only make you feel worse.” Sokka sighs. This isn’t how he imagined his first time meeting his soulmate being at all. Granted, he never imagined that his soulmate would be an angsty vigilante. 

“Do you believe in all that stuff, soulmates and everything?” Sokka asks. The Spirit tilts his head.

“How could I not believe in it?” Sokka smiles wryly.

“Then I guess you’ll have to believe that I might want you to be my soulmate. It’s decreed so by the universe!”

Truth be told, Sokka’s not entirely sure if he believes in soulmates. He believes that they exist; it’s pretty hard to dispute something that’s tattooed on your skin. But he’s not sure if he believes that they have to be permanent. And he had no intention of changing this belief.

Being around the Spirit, though, feels so cosmically correct that he starts to reconsider.

“Maybe,” the Spirit says quietly after a long moment. “But I don’t think I can be right now.”

Sokka nods. This is something he understands perfectly. “Of course,” he says. “No time for love while you’re fighting a war.”

The Spirit tenses, but offers a shaky “Yeah.”

Neither of them makes a move to get up, despite the air being filled with silence once again. 

It’s peaceful. Sokka’s half-delirious from a lack of sleep by this point, but he keeps looking at the Spirit, and then at the rising sun.

He wonders what the Spirit might look like, who he might be, how they might come together once things aren’t so chaotic.

He doesn’t believe in much of the fate mumbo-jumbo, but Sokka catches himself hoping that it’s real. Maybe it would be nice. Maybe it would be wonderful.

One thing is for sure: Toph is never going to let him hear the end of this.

  
  


(The next day: Sokka finally makes his way back to the Upper Ring.

“Aang!” He calls out dramatically to the boy, who’s sitting in the courtyard meditating “You’ll never believe what I found out last night!The Blue Spirit is my soulmate!” 

“What!?”)

(A couple months later, at the Western Air Temple: the universe aligns ever-so-slightly, and Sokka finally figures out who the Blue Spirit is)

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hi guys!! happy ZW day 2!!
> 
> today i give you my short, semi-random soulmate and tattoo story. tomorrow? who knows.
> 
> hope you enjoy!
> 
> -vallie <3


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